The commercial aviation industry has been obliged to carry each passenger's luggage along with the passenger to the same destination as the passenger since the beginning of commercial aviation. Typically, the baggage is carried in baggage compartments located in the belly of the aircraft. Baggage checked in at the ticket counter is transported via a conveyor to an area near the aircraft and then manually loaded onto baggage carts that are towed by a special use baggage tug to the aircraft for loading onto the aircraft. Conversely, arriving flights must unload baggage from the aircraft onto baggage carts and then the baggage carts are towed to the baggage conveyor and transported via conveyor to the baggage claim area.
The baggage carts used are generally of the same shape and very little difference in size. Most have a baggage container that is approximately 5 feet high, 5 feet wide and ten or twelve feet long. The containers are set on four wheels, two of them are steering wheels that attach to a tow bar. When the tow bar is in the UP position, a mechanical friction brake is set to keep the cart from rolling away due to ramp inclines or wind. Some carts are covered and some are not. The baggage tow vehicles are designed for the sole purpose of pulling baggage carts. They are powered by internal combustion engines. At many large airports where the airline has many gates, tow vehicles are required to pull baggage carts long distances in the commission of transferring baggage on connecting flights. There are, however, hundreds of airports in the United States where airlines provide service that have only one or two gates. Therefore, the complexity and distances that baggage must be transferred is greatly reduced. However, the equipment for moving baggage remains the same. Therefore, a baggage tow vehicle has to be started, driven for less than a minute and then shut off. There are a few disagreeable aspects to running a tow vehicle for such a short time. 1) The engine burns a disproportionately high amount of fuel until the engine is warmed up, but the engine is never run long enough for it to warm up. Consequently unburned fuel, rich in contaminates is dumped into the atmosphere. 2) Engines not allowed to run at normal operating temperature have a very short life span. Where an engine should be good for several thousands of hours running time, engines only run cold may have a life span as short as 100 hours. Tow vehicles cannot be left to run and warm up properly because all vehicles on the tarmac must be manned to eliminate the possibility of a run-away vehicle.
The present invention offers a solution to the inherent problems of internal combustion powered vehicles needed for short runs and intermittent service.